Biden remains ahead of Trump nationally on eve of conventions in NBC News/WSJ poll

CNBC reports that President Donald Trump continues to trail Democratic challenger Joe Biden nationally as more than 60 percent of voters say America’s response to the coronavirus has been unsuccessful and just one-in-five believe the U.S. economy is on solid footing.

Those are the major findings from the latest national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, which was conducted during the pandemic that has killed more than 170,000 Americans and as the presidential race enters a new phase, with the party conventions beginning on Monday just days after Biden’s selection of Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate.

According to the survey, Biden leads Trump nationally by 9 points among registered voters, 50 percent to 41 percent, and the former vice president holds double-digit advantages over Trump on the coronavirus, immigration, health care, race relations and uniting the country.

What’s more, the poll shows Harris with a higher net personal rating than either Trump or Biden.

Still, Trump maintains his lead over Biden on the economy — which the poll finds is voters’ top issue heading into the election — and the president’s overall numbers have improved from last month, although the movement is within the survey’s margin of error.

What also stands out in the poll is how stable Biden’s lead over Trump has been during the past year, ranging from 6 to 11 points in the last nine NBC News/WSJ surveys.

“Clearly, Biden is in the lead. Clearly, Trump has a lot of problems,” said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.

But Hart stressed that the election is “not a done deal,” especially with a majority of voters saying they’re either uncertain or pessimistic about the job Biden would do as president.

“Biden is well-known, but not known well, and people are looking for direction on that,” Hart said in previewing the upcoming Democratic convention.

Trump’s challenge ahead of his convention, which begins on Aug. 24, is expanding support beyond his committed Republican base, with an approval rating and ballot position stuck in the low 40s.

“That seems to me to be short of where he needs to be to win an election,” said McInturff, the GOP pollster.

Biden’s 9-point national lead in the horserace is down from his 11-point edge in last month’s NBC News/WSJ poll.